So we get a lot of questions about car seats,
which one to use, and which one do I use next and when? So in this video we are going to show you
a progression of car seats and when to switch from one to the other. Now the progression that I recommend to all
parents is to start with an Infant Car Seat, then move into a Convertible, and then A Combination
High-back and 5 Point Harness and then to finish off with a Combination High-Back, No-Back
Booster. Now there will be a lot of information in
this video, but if you still have questions please send those to us and you can do that
by commenting below or send us an email at hello@babycubby.com. Please don't hesitate, this is the reason
we do these videos is to help you get the information that you need. Now typically the first car seat that you're
going to use with your child is going to be an Infant Car Seat. Now the biggest misconception is that you
have to start with an Infant Car Seat. You actually don't. Most if not all Convertible Car Seats you
can use to bring your child home from the hospital.
Now you do need to make sure you have the
correct infant inserts in order to do that, some of them are included some of them you
have to get them as an additional accessory. But you can start with this and it's a little
bit more budget friendly and you can skip the Infant Car Seat all together. However you're loosing out on the convenience
of an infant seat. Now an Infant Car Seat is designed with a
base and so the base is what you're going to install in your car so that you can easily
click in and out your infant seat and that's just in case your baby falls asleep in the
car, then you can just click them out and carry them with you and it's easy to install
every time.
Now this is also convenient because you can
take your infant seat and click it into a stroller creating a travel system. Now you can't do that with a Convertible Car
Seat. That one's just going to stay in your car
and you'll take the infant in and out. Most, I want to say probably 95% of parents
are going to start with an Infant Car Seat because they want those convenience features.
Now an Infant Car Seat you'll use from birth
up until the weight or height limit of the seat. Average is about 30 lbs and 32 inches. Once they reach that limit you do have to
go into a Convertible Car Seat. Now having said that most parents will stop
using an Infant Car Seat at about a year or until your baby gets too heavy, you're not
really carrying it anyway because it's not convenient anymore. Now there are some study's showing that it's
actually beneficial to stop using this at a year and start using a Convertible Car Seat
regardless if they've reached that weight limit or that height limit just because the
Convertible Car Seat is going to keep them Safer. Now when you're using this with an infant
you do need to make sure that your using the infant inserts that are included. Typically those inserts are going to come
out at about 10-11 lbs some of them are comfort features so you do need to check with your
car seat manual to see when those inserts should be coming out.
Now this is a rear facing only seat. DO NOT install an infant seat forward facing,
it is not going to protect your child. Also this handle there is a lot of confusion
on whether you should keep it up or put it down when you install and the reason for the
confusion is it's different for every manufacturer so you do need to check with your manual to
see if they recommend it being up or down or even if it matters. Once your child reaches a year or you're not
using the convenience features of an infant car seat then you'll move into a convertible
car sear. Now the reason it's called convertible is
because it does just that. It converts from rear facing to forward facing. Now when using it rear facing that's when
you're going to use it with your little tiny baby, make sure you're using the appropriate
inserts and to take those out when it's appropriate.
Just read your manual to find out when that
is. Now one of the biggest questions is when do
I switch from rear facing to forward facing? This is probably the biggest safety tip that
we can give you or the safety caution that we can give you. The minimum standard is 2 years AND 30 lbs. So they need to be 2 years old and weigh 30
lbs in order to turn them forward facing. Now best practice is even longer. You want to reach the limits of the car seat. So that's the weight limit OR the height limit. Once they reach either of those then you do
have to turn them forward facing. Now some concerns that come up with keeping
your child rear facing longer are #1, Leg room. Is my child comfortable? First of all, your child's going to get comfortable
in any seat they're in.
They can put their legs straight up on the
seat behind them. They can crisscross them, they can tuck their
feet up underneath their bum. Another thing to consider is that a lot of
people think that they're going to get a leg injury because there is no leg room in there
but that's a huge misconception. It's actually very rare that they're going
to get a leg injury because the crash forces or the energy is traveling in the opposite
direction. So it's actually taking them further from
the seat in the car. Now if they did get a leg injury while that
is sad that is less detrimental to their health then a neck or spine injury. Now once your forward facing you want to continue
using your convertible car seat as long as you can and reach those limits of the car
seat. Now average convertible car seat weight limit
is about 65 lbs. I would say that most people will keep their
children in a convertible car seat until they're about 5. However you can go all the way up to those
limits and the average 9 year old is 65 lbs.
So you can use this for quite a while and
you do want to keep your child as safe as possible so try to reach those limits of the
car seat. Now once you're ready to take your child out
of the convertible seat you do have a couple options. Now unfortunately most parents will go straight
from a convertible car seat right into a high-back or even a no back booster. Just like this one. Now that's not recommended now not only do
they need to reach the height and weight limit of a booster but they also have to have the
maturity.
Now this is one thing that most parents don't
know. Is that in order to put your child in a booster
they need to be able to sit in the seat properly, properly harnessed every time even while sleeping. Now if you can say that about your 5 year
old go ahead and put them in a booster. But I would say that's probably not the case. That's where this seat comes in. Now this is a combination high-back booster
and 5 point harness. The nice thing about it is it gives your child
a little more room. Say this one is getting a little bit squishy. This one has a bigger seated space it also
has a taller back so your child's going to be a little bit more comfortable. Now this is just forward facing. So you don't have the option of going back
and forth but you do still have this 5 point harness and that's what's going to keep them
contained in the event of a car accident. Now once they reach the limits you can raise
up the seat. You can raise this all the way up. Stop using the 5 point harness and then you
can start using the seat belt of the car.
So you have a lot of flexibility with this
one. Now one thing to mention is seats like this
seat or similar seats have a weight capacity of 120 lbs. So you really can use this until your child
can sit directly on the vehicle seat. If they reach the maturity level and they
can appropriately use a booster we recommend you going to a combination high-back/no-back
booster as I showed you before you can actually take the back off when it's appropriate. Now the reason for the high-back or even a
booster at all is really just to bring your child up or bring the seat belt down so that
it's right here at their shoulders so that's less movement that your child does in the
event of a car accident.
You want it to be snug on their hips as well
as right here on their shoulders. So you would use the high-back as long as
you need to and then you can take this off and use it just as a no back booster. Now a lot of people will take the high-back
off if it takes up too much room in their car which is just fine as long as the seat
belt is at an appropriate level. Now when can you stop using a booster? This is a really big question that a lot of
people have. I would say most if not 99% of parents are
not using a booster long enough.
It's ok for your child to stop using a car
seat all together when their bum is seated on the seat, their back completely against
the back of the car seat and their feet are planted on the floor. If they're seated just like that and the seat
belt is right at their shoulder you don't have to use a car seat anymore. But until then please use a booster. Now I'm a CPS tech that stands for Child Passenger
Safety Technician. So that just means I know a lot about car
seats and honestly this is my ideal progression of car seats this is what I personally use
with my children to keep them safe. Now all of these car seats can be purchased
on our website where we price match,so why not shop with us and they also ship for free! Go to www.babycubby.com for more information.
Now if this was helpful for you I'm so glad! This is a lot of information but I'm seeing
a lot of these questions go out there so if you enjoyed this video give us a like or even
subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can get more information. Also follow up with our safety video to get
more information on installing and harnessing your child..